Soul Stealer
by misssun1
Summary: After 5 years of being experimented on at Thriller Bark, Ryou Bakura has lost control of his mind and his devil fruit powers, but he is still determined to find his friend and fellow crewmate, Malik Ishtar. non-yaoi. rated M for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own One Piece or Yugioh. Don't read if you have not gotten to Thriller Bark in the One Piece anime. Bakura is Ryou Bakura and Yami Bakura, and Malik is Malik Ishtar and Yami Malik. They have devil fruit powers. Please review.

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"Chopper? Where are you going? Luffy'll need our help!" Nami cried frantically as Chopper desperately bolted towards the crumbling mansion.

"Sorry Nami, but at dinner, mentioned a patient that he was having trouble fixing. I need to make sure he's okay and has gotten out of the mansion!" The reindeer called back, not stopping to talk.

"Sanji, go with him to make sure that he doesn't get hurt!" Nami ordered curtly as she turned around to face the lovesick man.

"Right away, Nami-swan!" Sanji cooed before following dramatically after the reindeer.

Nami watched in growing horror as the monster fueled by Luffy's shadow continued to smash the building to pieces in his battle with the true Luffy. "Please be safe." She begged softly.

"Chopper! Hey, Chopper-kun! Wait up for me. I'm supposed to be coming with you." Sanji called as he tried to keep up with the fast moving reindeer.

Chopper slowed down slightly, but pranced nervously as he looked down the hallway in anticipation. "Just move quickly, Sanji-san. We need to get this guy out of here before the whole mansion collapses." He muttered edgily as he chewed on his bottom lip.

Sanji nodded as he ran faster, passing Chopper by. "Sanji! We were supposed to turn right here!" Chopper yelled. Sanji skidded to a stop before running back and picking Chopper up, running to the right. "Just tell me where to go and we'll go."

Chopper nodded as he scanned the passing corridors nervously. "I really hope we can find him. Dr. Hogback said that he was up in his tower; so where Zoro was fighting."

"But didn't they completely destroy that place top to bottom?" Sanji asked as he made a sharp right turn on Chopper's command.

A grim look passed over Chopper's features. "We can only pray that he's okay. Turn left here and then go down the stairs." He ordered as they reached a heavy-set oak door.

Sanji nodded as he kicked the door down and ran down the stairs quickly. The rest of the journey was made in silence.

Chopper hopped out of Sanji's arms as he ran up to the door ending of the dark corridor. "In here. This is the only place he could be and still be living." He deduced quickly, before taking a deep breath and sliding the steel door open with quivering hooves. "H-Hello?" He stuttered shakily as he peeked his head around the door into the deathly cold room.

Sanji peeked into the dark room as well. The only source of light originated from the cracks in the ceiling. "Chopper, it looks empty. He may have already left when Zoro and that zombie were fighting." He murmured quietly.

A grating cough tore harshly through the silence, originating at the back corner of the room. "W-Whose t-there?" A choked voice stammered.

"Sanji! There is someone in here!" Chopper squealed excitedly as he pushed the door fully open. "Help me find the light switch." He ordered as he tried to see in the dim lighting.

"It's on the right hand side of the door. About at the tall blonde's shoulder. They don't work very well, and they flicker a lot though. Also, it has mold on the switch." The gravelly voice supplied supportively, before erupting into a series of rasping coughs.

Sanji flicked on the light switch at his shoulder level, uneasily wiping his hands on his pants to free them from the mildew. "Um, thanks. And you are?" He turned to look for the source of the voice.

"I am in the back corner behind the table." A sarcastic snicker sounded. "You probably don't want to see me anyways... Dr. Hogback is currently indisposed right now, may I please take a message?" The voice seemed to find that amusing and a high-pitched giggle broke from behind the metal table, followed by a cough.

"Silly, we were looking for you." Chopper assured bluntly, as he walked to the other side of the medical table. He let out a gasp as he looked at the person chained to the wall, dropping his medical supplies in shock.

Sanji looked over towards Chopper curious. "Hey Chopper-kun. Are you oka-…" Sanji trailed off as he took in the sight before him.

A man whose striking features resembled that of a ghost looked up at him, large eyes a haunting shade of blood red. His face was highlighted by dark bags beneath his eyes, created by many sleepless nights. His body was pale and drawn, a legacy of little sunlight. All of his ribs could be counted with ease and bruises dappled his unusually flawless skin. The man cleared his throat. "Hello there. Why were you looking for me?" He rasped politely.

Chopper swallowed back his rage as he reverted to doctor mode. He picked his bag up and pulled a large bottle of water out. "We were looking for you because the house is going to collapse in a few moments and we need to get you out." Chopper explained as he handed the man the chilled water bottle.

The man stared at the water bottle warily for a moment before throwing it to the wall behind him. "I don't want it. It probably has some more of those painful medications in it." He glanced at it in disgust. "Or some more of that seastone shit." His eyes narrowed as he examined the shocked reindeer with sharp eyes. "You're a doctor." He growled bluntly, before his cracked lips snapped shut in a tight line.

"Chopper-kun is a doctor. But he's not like Dr. Hogback. Chopper-kun is a good doctor." Sanji explained brusquely.

The chained man broke into a fit of hysterics, surprising the duo standing before him. When he finally calmed down enough to speak, his face was deadly calm. "There are no good doctors." He blinked slowly, ignoring Chopper's protests. "You came here…." His eyes lit up as the reason hit him. "Hogback told you about me, didn't he? He told you about the one case he was having trouble solving. So you decided to steal me and see if you could solve me." He snarled before spitting at Chopper's feet. "You doctor's sicken me. Go sell your bullshit to some stupid dope, but don't try to pull it on me. I may be insane, but I'm not an idiot."

"I only want to help you! I'm sorry if your views are so terribly distorted by Doctor Hogback, but that's not how the rest of the world is! So come out of your pathetic little bubble and think! What would I gain by kidnapping you and healing you besides the joy of knowing that I'm a good doctor?" Chopper exploded in frustration.

The man remained infuriatingly calm. "You'll tell everyone that you did something that Hogback couldn't. That you fixed the insane albino dangling from his wall. And then you'll get fame and fortune." He muttered hoarsely, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Chopper seemed to melt. "Y-You really think that about me?" He whispered, hurt by the man's accusations.

"Listen, kid. I don't know what's going on with you, but Doctor Hogback has been missing for years. Everyone said that he was dead. So it wouldn't matter if Chopper healed you or not, because he wouldn't get any fame or money from it. Chopper does it because he likes to save people." Sanji argued aggressively, sticking up for the eerily silent reindeer.

"No one does anything without motives. I've learned that during the five years that I've been locked here in this hellhole. Nothing is free in this world." The albino snarled. He leaned down and pulled a small tarnished pin hidden in the folds of his dirty pants before easily picking the locks of his rusted chains.

As he stood up, Chopper watched on in confusion. "You've been able to get out this whole time?" Sanji asked in bewilderment.

The man nodded distractedly as he massaged the harsh welts on his skin where the chains had sat. "I've been able to get out of the chains since four years and 353 days ago."

"Then why didn't you?" Chopper asked as his fingers trembled, itching to wrap the man up in bandages and shove some food in his mouth.

The man directed a harsh glare to the reindeer. "Because, _Doctor_ Chopper, I have no where to go. My crew was gone, most likely killed on this damned island, I am extremely mentally unstable thanks to _Doctor_ Hogback, I don't have a ship, and I would've been caught by stupid Moria the second that I took a step outside." He snarled as he kicked the operating table angrily, overturning it and knocking Doctor Hogback's supplies to the ground. "Five years. Five god damned years. That's how long it's been since I've last seen the goddamned sun. Five goddamned years." His red eyes refocused on the two. "And do you know what the worst thing about it is? I've just been a goddamned toy for _Doctor_ Hogback for the past five years. I'm his stupid little test subject. He made me go insane. I wasn't like this before, when I had my crew. He even had the nerve to keep me and one of my crewmates together for three years, forcing us to watch the other tortured. He finally let Malik out because he went irreversibly insane." He punched the stonewall behind him in anger. "It was all _Doctor_ Hogback's fault."

"And that's why you don't like doctors." Sanji concluded as he lit a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth.

"Don't _like_ doctors? Is that the word you're going to use? _Like_? That fucking bastard has done nothing but destroy my life bit by bit. He was never trying to fix me. The only goddamned possibly good thing that he did was let me sleep. But even that he didn't let me do much of. He conducted studies on me to see how long a human could go for without sleep, food, and water… together! He's nearly killed me thirty-seven times to date, and you have the nerve to insinuate that I don't _like_ doctors?" The albino disputed angrily as he prodded a finger into Sanji's chest. "Listen, blondie. I'm not an idiot. I may be insane, but I'm not an idiot. Doctors are just around to play with people and figure out the best ways to kill everyone. That's what doctors are for." He growled conclusively.

Chopper swallowed nervously. "Sir, I-I understand that you have experienced hell beneath Do- Hogback's cruel regime, but understand t-that not all of us are like that. W-We really do want to help p-people, and their l-loved ones through h-hard times. We w-want to save lives, not d-destroy them. And I think t-that you n-need to rethink your opinion on d-d-doctors." He stuttered, trying to ignore the albino's incensed eyes for long enough to finish verbalizing a complete thought.

The man looked like he was about to scream profanities at the poor reindeer when suddenly he blinked, a dazed look passing over his previously angered features. "What are your names?" He asked amiably as he sat down on the hard edge of the over turned operating table.

"I'm Chopper. Nice to meet you." Chopper chirped cheerfully as he waved. Sanji blinked in confusion at the abrupt personality shift. Chopper elbowed him in the knee and he answered the albino's question with a grimace. "I'm Sanji. Nice to meet you too, I guess."

The man nodded as he pointed to himself with near skeletal fingers. "I'm Ryou Bakura, but you can call me Bakura. That's what everyone calls me." A soft giggle escaped from his lips as he prodded his hollow cheek.

Chopper nodded, before tugging on Sanji's arm. "Bakura-san, Sanji and I need to discuss something for a moment. If you'll excuse us?"

Bakura smiled sweetly. "Don't worry about it." He glanced down at his scabbed wrists and rolled his fingers across the oozing edges in morbid curiosity. "Huh. Wonder when Doctor Hogback decided to let me out." He murmured to himself as he glanced around. His eyes alit on the discarded metal water bottle. "Oh! Shiny!" He exclaimed, before trailing his tongue along the rim. He giggled, before prying it open and taking a greedy gulp.

Sanji pulled Chopper out the door and knelt down to look him in the eyes. "What the hell just happened? One second he was pissed off as hell and about to kill us both, and the next he was asking our names and licking the water bottle."

Chopper nodded as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Remember, he went insane here. There were undoubtedly some repercussions from Hogback's experimentations." His eyes narrowed in righteous anger. "I don't know what he did to Bakura, but I will not rest until I return him to his remaining crew and to his previous mentality."

Sanji stood up slowly, eyes never leaving Chopper's own. "You do know what you just said, right? You just pledged to bring him onto the ship and find his family. And you will take responsibility for anything that happens to him. Are you sure that this is what you want to do? Because you can't back down from this type of promise easily."

"Doctor-san? Am I supposed to have ten fingers?" Came a pathetic inquiry from the other side of the laboratory door.

Chopper winced. "Yes, Bakura-san. You are also supposed to have ten toes." He replied patiently.

"Oh. Okay." The man quieted as Chopper turned back to face Sanji, a determined flame in his eyes.

"I will not just leave him here like this. Not when the person I idolized did this to him." Chopper hissed, his eyes blazing lividly.

Sanji grimaced. "Whatever you think is best, Chopper-kun. I'll try to help out when I can, but crazies freak me out. I can only deal with them so long before I need to leave, or else I'd be there babbling insane shit with them."

Chopper smiled softly. "And that's all I need from you. Just a few minutes of help and caring." His eyes shifted to the preoccupied albino, who was at the moment giggling as he counted and recounted his bony fingers. "That's all _he_ needs."

"Doctor-san, my head hurts badly. Is that supposed to happen too?" The man asked in confusion as he met Chopper's gaze, stumbling towards the duo with a nervous smile on his face.

Chopper frowned as he walked in front of Bakura, stopping the man in his tracks. "No, Bakura-san, your head is not supposed to hurt." The albino shoved the wet water bottle into Chopper's hooves, which the reindeer thanked him for. "Thank you, Bakura-kun. It is no surprise that your head hurts after what Doctor Hogback did to you. We will get you some better working medicine on our ship. Follow us." The reindeer ordered as he turned around and began to walk away.

Bakura's froze. "Doctor… Hogback…." He repeated dully.

Chopper stopped and turned around, shoving the water bottle into his bag. "Bakura-san, come on. We need to get you fixed up as soon as possible."

Bakura growled as he tore past Sanji and Chopper, almost seeming to glide across the murky floors. "I don't need any help from you god damned doctors." He snarled, before vanishing down the hallway. Sanji blinked. _His feet weren't moving at all. He just flew by._ He thought numbly.

"Sanji! We need to catch him!" Chopper wailed as he shifted into his most deer like form and ran after the boy.

"On it. He's probably looking for the door, so we just need to cut him off." Sanji replied as he shot after the two. "You go left and I go right." Chopper was already too far down the hall to hear.

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Yeah, I know that this one is shorter than the other. But I decided to break this one up more, because I don't have as much written. Anyways, message me if you're confused, but know that Bakura's powers will be further explained in the next few chapters. Review.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you avatoa for reviewing. This chapter is definitely longer, don't ask me why. Please review. One Piece and Yu-gi-oh do not belong to me.

Bakura glanced behind him and allowed a satisfied sigh to escape his lips; the doctor and his accomplice had not managed to follow him. He collapsed onto his knees, breathing heavily as he stroked the opaque creature kneeling beside him. "Thank you Diabound. You have saved my life, yet again." He rasped, before staggering to his feet. Bakura pressed his chapped hand against the creature's forehead. "Sleep now. Rest for both of us; I taste a battle in the air." He murmured, as the monster disappeared into an eddy of darkness.

Bakura began to limp forwards in conservative movements, trying to preserve his remaining energy for any problems bound to arise. "I-I need to get out of here quickly. If they came in there without _Hogback's_ permission, that must mean that Thriller Bark is in chaos right now. I can steal the reindeer's ship and escape. Maybe I'll find Malik on my way through the Grand Line, if he isn't already dead." He laughed harshly as he scrambled for a foothold in the dusty rubble. "I doubt it."

He shoved his way through to the large double doors marking the entrance of the mansion before shouldering it open and freezing in shock. The mansion was mostly destroyed by now, only remnants of its former beauty still intact. No one had ever managed to destroy Thriller Bark's inner workings so thoroughly. Moria was at the center of the chaos, glaring down at some short pirate on top of some giant of a zombie belonging to _Doctor_ Hogback. "Moria." Bakura snarled before running towards the shadow master, adrenaline fueling his weary body.

"Wait, stop, sir! You'll get killed; you aren't in any condition to fight!" A red head cried out as he shot past her.

Moria glanced over at the source of the noise and cackled. "Ah! So you did get out, little lab rat! I was worried about you. How does it feel to be outside for the first time in five years?" His gaze shifted back to the midget as he gestured to the bony man. "See? This is what awaits you. This lunatic hasn't been able to escape from us for five years! Five years of his life, he has played lab rat to Hogback's crazy schemes." He laughed as Bakura ran up the side of the zombie. "Come on and try to attack me, little lab rat. It'll be refreshing to see what one with true power can do."

Bakura slipped several scalpels that he had stolen from Hogback's table and extended them between his pale fingers. "Die, you bastard!" He yelled as he began a series of elaborate slashes at Moria.

Moria merely frowned as a shadow blocked the attacks easily. "Don't tell me you've lost your touch, lab rat? Put on a show for us. Show us what the secret that's been hiding in your body for these five years." His eyes narrowed greedily. "Show us what even Hogback was unable to pry out of you."

"Don't say his name!" Bakura screamed as Diabound suddenly emerged from thin air and slammed into Moria.

Moria's eyes widened as the creature pinning him down drooled hungrily in his face. "So it's true. The rumors from the commoners were true. You control a monster." He murmured as he stared up into the creature's harsh red eyes.

Bakura kicked the side of his face with his bloody bare foot. "Shut up, Moria. I'm going to kill you. I'm not going to steal your soul; that would be too painless. I'm going to kill you with _Doctor_ Hogback's very own scalpels. I'm not doing this for me. I'm not doing this for these forest dwellers. I'm not doing it for the midget." His crimson eyes narrowed demonically as he leaned down and pressed a knife to Moria's throat. "I'm doing it for my crew." He spat.

Moria laughed unexpectedly. "Is this what it's about? Your stupid crew and that blond man… what was his name? All I remember is that he was strange looking… Mayak? Makik? Maril?"

"It was Malik, you bastard!" Bakura snarled as he snapped another scalpel over Moria's neck.

Moria's face sobered as he glared up at Bakura. "The little lab rat needs to learn his manners better. The little lab rat needs to learn to be silent when his owner is speaking." He hissed. Suddenly, shadows shot up from Moria's body and pulled the albino away, pinning him to the zombie's chest. Bakura struggled to get free as Diabound tried to help his master by tugging frantically hungry shadows. Moria merely bound Diabound with a small clump of shadows as he knelt over Bakura. "Little lab rat, your crew would have died eventually; with or without me. I merely… sped up the process, you might say. I didn't even kill this Malik. I should've, with what annoying prats the two of you were being, but I didn't. I just stole his shadow after he went a little insane."

"Oi! Moria! Give us back our shadows, now!" The midget ordered as he too jumped onto the zombie.

Moria glanced at him, annoyance evident in his eyes. "I am talking to my property. Leave Straw Hat, before I decide to kill you and everyone else here." He ordered bluntly as he pried the scalpels from Bakura's stubborn grasp.

"Moria! Let go of Bakura-san! What has he done to you?" Chopper demanded as he ran up to the zombie, trying to reach Bakura. Sanji held the reindeer back to keep him from getting hurt.

Bakura blinked, before his eyes grew in astonishment. "Moria-sama?" He gasped as he frantically tried to pull out of the shadows' grasps. "Please, Moria-sama! I didn't mean whatever I did! Don't hurt him!" He begged as he struggled against he shadow bonds. Diabound flickered out of existence. "I didn't mean it! Tell Doctor-san that I'm sorry for being disrespectful. Please, don't hurt Malik-kun."

Moria stood up and released the shadows, smirking cynically. "Oh, so for the first time in two years, I have the pleasure of talking to this side of Bakura. It is an honor." His smirk widened. "I won't hurt Malik if you remain quiet."

Bakura's eyes widened as he stumbled back, trying to get away from the shadow master. "What? No, no! I've been here for three years. What are you talking about? I've been here for three years. I counted! It wasn't two!" Bakura protested weakly as he tripped backwards over a tooth.

"Bakura-san! Calm down! Just step away from Moria and he can't hurt you. Come over here." Chopper beckoned as he held a small hoof to the horrified man.

Bakura glanced down at him with wide eyes, before looking back to the smirking Moria. "I'm sorry, Doctor-san, but I can't. I can't let my nakama get hurt on my account." He mumbled numbly as he remained on the silent zombie.

Chopper bit his lip in frustration, not wanting to break the truth to the mentally fragile individual before him. "Bakura! You've been on here for over five years! Malik was released two years ago because he was driven to irreversible insanity! You have a severe case of dissociative personality disorder; that's why you can't remember half of your time here. Bakura! You have to listen to me, please! Who do you trust, Moria or me? Bakura, I was the one who gave you that water bottle, the shiny one, remember? Not Moria! Moria was the one who starved you! He's the one who took away Malik's shadow!"

"Dissociative personality disorder?" Bakura rolled the strange series of words carefully around in his mouth, not fully understanding their meaning. His eyes flickered mistrustingly to Moria. "Malik is… gone?"

"Well, little lab rat? Who do you trust more? Me or one of those evil _doctors_ that you just met today?" Moria sneered, his eyes cold.

Bakura's gaze shifted to his toes, not wanting to look at either of them. "I….I- I'm sorry Doctor-san." He whispered shamefully after a moment, before looking up at the smirking monster standing beside him. "Where would you like me to wait, Moria-sama?"

"Kishishishishi. Wait over by the forest, little lab rat. I will punish you appropriately for leaving after I deal with these foolish pests." Moria commanded, before turning his gaze to the impatient midget. "As for you, Straw Hat Luffy, I will show you what true power is. I shall show you the power of the man who shall become pirate king." Tendrils of murky shadows exploded from his feet and swarmed the surface of the island.

Bakura stepped off of the zombie and sat down on top of a rotting tree stump, desperately burying his head into his arms as he tried to tune out all of the confusing voices swarming around him. _Dissociative personality disorder? Five years? That's ridiculous. I've only been here for three… Haven't I? And where's Malik-kun? Wherever we go, we go together. Why would he leave me when Moria-sama was about to punish me? And what was Moria-sama talking about, saying that it was nice talking to me after two years? Two years? That doesn't add up, I'm positive that I've been here for through. But if you add them, that makes five years, just like Doctor-san said…. But I've only been here for three… _He furrowed his eyebrows together as he glanced up at the monstrosity that barely contained by Moria-sama's stubborn will.

"Kishishishishi. One thousand!" The creature cried triumphantly. Bakura watched with dull eyes as Moria turned its eyes to him. "Stay right there, little lab rat. Or there will be a punishment." The creature smiled vilely at him, drool slowly sliding from its pointed teeth.

"Of course, Moria-sama. I would never think of disobeying you." Bakura murmured obediently as he allowed his long white bangs to shield his eyes. He did not want to watch the midget and his friends die against such a disgusting being. It was morally wrong.

Moria slammed a bulky hand into the ground, cracking the island in half. Bakura was shot from his reverie as the ground he was sitting on cracked and flew feet into the air. He let out a gasp of surprise as it slammed back into the ground and broke into sharp chunks. _Moria-sama has never been this out of control before. He has swallowed some shadows, but never a thousand. This will not end well. No one is able to handle that many extra consciences without going insane or dying; no matter how powerful you may think you are. _He blinked slowly as he shifted to a more comfortable position on the rocky ground. _I-I don't know what to do anymore, or what to believe. Doctor-san is right, at least partially. I don't remember all of my time here, and several times when I woke up, people were yelling at me for stealing stuff from them… But to say that I haven't been fully conscious for two full years? That is insane… And saying that Malik-kun was taken off because of insanity has to be a lie. The last time I saw him, he wasn't the perfect picture of mental sanity, but he was still somewhat sane. He was better than me. He recognized me._ The distraught man tugged his bangs blankly as he stared at his gangly toes. _Huh. I do have ten toes, don't I, Doctor-san. You weren't lying about that at least._

"Bakura! Move!" A familiar squeaky voice yelled.

The albino looked up, bewildered. "What?" His eyes widened as he looked up. The mast of the mansion was falling. Right towards him. A giggle escaped his lips as he slowly stood up. "Kind of poetic, isn't it. This place has been oppressing me for who knows how long." He wiggled his bony fingers in the dim light. "And now it's literally about to oppress me." He stepped out of the way of the mast and walked over to the gathering of people. "Hello. My name is Ryou Bakura." He said happily as he poked his hollow cheek, ignoring the loud crash signaling the mast's abrupt meeting with the ground.

Several people glared at him while others glanced at him out of the corners of their eyes, eyes blatantly mistrusting.

His bright smile dropped a notch as he extended a hand to one of the men. "What's your name?" He asked, determinedly cheerfully.

The man clasped his hand warily. "Hoshigaki Tamaro." He said bluntly.

Bakura smiled warmly, but suddenly froze. Something about the man's hand felt strange. A familiar tingling sensation was travelling from the man's hand to his own, as a blue spark began to dance between his fingers. He quickly dropped the man's hand and backed away nervously, the spark disappearing as he dropped the other's hand. "I'm sorry. I had forgotten that I shouldn't touch people with my hands." He mumbled apologetically as he turned around, rubbing his hand nervously.

"Captain Lola! Get back in the shadows! You're going to die!" Tamaro yelled a few seconds later as he waved his pink haired captain over to the pile of rubble.

Bakura stood up and walked over to the pink haired woman, passing his hand gently through the white flame. "Does it hurt?"

She nodded as she gritted her teeth. "More than you can possibly imagine, sir. But I can't let Straw Hat Luffy down."

Bakura nodded as he walked over to the familiar suited man and passed his hand through the fire consuming everything from his shoulder's up. "Hello Sanji-san. You are not looking well right now. Are you sure you wouldn't like to step into the shade?" He asked sweetly.

The man's body remained stony still, not even acknowledging his presence.

Bakura sighed as his lower lip poked into a pout. "Oh fine, be a spoil sport." He walked over to the shade of the forest tree and watched in interest as suddenly everyone who had their body's being consumed by flame were created whole again. A green haired man popped his neck lazily. "Well that was lucky that our shadows came back at that moment."

Sanji glanced over at Bakura. "Yes Bakura-san, I would like to step into the shade. But I made a promise." He said, a small smile played across his lips as he lit a cigarette.

Bakura nodded back, before glancing at the feet of Moria. "Where is Doctor-san? He is always with Moria-sama."

Chopper grimaced at the polite name for Hogback. "I defeated Doctor before I came to retrieve you." He explained quietly, careful not to use his name.

Bakura nodded as an airy chuckle slipped through his lips. "You are so tiny though. How did you defeat such a fat man?"

A shadow was still flitting among the survivors, seeming to search for something. Sanji pointed towards it with his cigarette. "Hey, what do you guys think is wrong with that shadow? It's acting kind of funny."

The shadow suddenly spotted Bakura and shot forwards on a collision course for him. Bakura meeped and ducked down, covering his head with frail arms. "Please don't eat me." He whimpered pathetically. "I'm too boney."

A laugh escaped from where the shadow's mouth would be and Bakura chanced looking up. He started and instantly stood up straight, as he tried to tug at the shadow's hair. "Malik-kun? What happened to you? Did Moria-sama turn you into a shadow?" He asked the familiar shadow innocently in confusion.

Another laugh was pulled from the shadow's lips as he shook his head. "No, 'Kura. I am Malik's shadow." His voice was a strange echo of Malik's, holding only remnants of the real voice.

Bakura nodded, as if it made the most sense in the world. "I suppose that could be it. Where's Malik-kun then?" He glanced down at Chopper. "The little Doctor-san told me that I've been here for two years longer than you. Is that true?" He asked as he uncertainly tugged on a lock of his own white hair.

The shadow sighed and nodded glumly. "Yes. He got released two years ago because we were too insane." He glanced off at the sunrise. "I'm going to have to go in a minute. Malik's body is waiting for me. He has been waiting for two years."

Bakura's eyes widened as he attempted to grab the shadow by the shoulders. His hands merely phased through, causing him to shiver at the sensation. "W-Where is he, Malik shadow-san? Where is Malik-kun?"

The shadow remained still for a moment, trying to locate his body. "Malik is at…. Sh-Shabondy Archipelago. Right now. Hopefully, you'll be able to catch up to him. I can't talk to him, so I can't tell him to stay there. I'm sorry 'Kura." He gave him a strange hug before ruffling his hair with near translucent hands. "Hopefully we'll see you there, 'Kura. I'll stall him for as long as I can, so try not to worry too much, okay?"

Bakura giggled. "Okay, Malik shadow-san. I trust you. After all, you are a part of Malik-kun."

He waved happily to the slowly disappearing shadow. "Bye, bye. Have a nice trip to Malik-kun."

The shadow nodded, a small smile playing across its opaque lips. "You too. You better not get killed on the way to see us. That means that I just wasted two and a half minutes of my shadowy life." He drawled sarcastically. "Ta, 'Kura. And good luck." The remnants shot away eagerly and disappeared into the grey morning sky.

Bakura nodded to himself as he scratched an itch on his neck. "That's right. I gotta make it there. For Malik-kun and his shadow." A gasp pulled him from his reverie. He walked over to Chopper and pointed his finger where the reindeer's eyes were focused. Quickly, his eyes played in the direction of his finger. And a smug smirk danced across his chapped lips.

"Did he say exterminate?" A man muttered. The crowd broke into an angry roar as they pulled out all of the weapons they had and pointed them to a large man talking on a baby den-den mushi. The green haired man stepped forwards, panting heavily but still determined to hold his swords up.

The man sitting on the toppled mast suddenly disappeared and reappeared in the middle of the mob. He ignored their gasps and yells of surprise and dismay, his eyes drawn to the smirking Bakura.

Slowly he reached to the baby den-den mushi and lifted it to his mouth, pressing it as his lips touched the small microphone. "I have encountered a problem." He said evenly, his eyes flitting from confused face to confused face.

"What?" A voice snapped in annoyance. "What do you mean by that?"

"The 374 million bounty Soul Stealer is standing here on the island. He doesn't look well, but that doesn't make him any less powerful. What should I do with him?"

"Soul Stealer? He's there? Are you positive?" The voice hissed, suddenly sounding worried.

The tall man nodded slowly as he appraised the smirking figure. "I am positive. He's just standing here right now, but he enact some form of negative action if he feel threatened."

A sigh sounded on the other side of the mike. "Bring him the Holy City, Mariejoa by any means necessary. If you must bribe him with government money, do so, but only as a last resort. Make sure he is not dead, Kuma."

Kuma grimaced. "That will be hard to do, but I will try." He hung up the mike.

Usopp looked around in worry. "There's a person here worth 374 million belli! And he steals souls? What the hell? We're all going to die!" He screamed.

Robin calmly raised a hand, drawing everyone's attention. "Calm down. His full title is Soul Stealer Bakura." She raised an elegant eyebrow. "Sound familiar?"

Chopper gasped as he whirled around to face Bakura. Sanji grimaced and glanced over at Bakura as well. "You're worth 374 million belli?" He screeched as he backed away.

A crazed giggle escaped from his lips as he pulled a scalpel from the zombie's head and twirled it between his fingers, eyes focused only on the glint of light. "I haven't heard that name in five long years." He commented lightly as he sighed and stopped twirling the minute blade. "I had nearly forgotten." He glanced around at the gaping figures surrounding him. "I hope none of you are bounty hunters. That would be rather annoying if you were."

"Soul Stealer Bakura. You are coming with me to Mariejoa." Kuma said bluntly.

Bakura looked around and avoided meeting the man's eyes as he twirled his toe in the dirt. "See, that's where we reach a breach in diplomacy. You want me to become a government prisoner by my own will, and I just got out and want to find Malik-kun. That's a problem." His eyes stopped roaming the shocked faces and finally settled on Kuma, narrowed slyly. "And we both know who's stronger, even after being reduced to a skeleton."

"We will negotiate later. First, I will eliminate these rookies. Then we will come up with an agreement." Kuma said, before looking down at the pale faces beneath him.

"Bakura-kun! Help us! Please!" Chopper pleaded as he tugged on the man's tattered shorts.

Bakura smiled regretfully down at him as he erected a shimmering blue shield around the two, distancing them from the beginning fight. He sat Indian style and leaned on a skeletal hand heavily. "See, now, I'd love to help you guys. I really would. But…."

"But what?" Chopper prodded hysterically as he grabbed onto Bakura's free hand. "You're worth 374 million belli. Kuma's probably not even worth half as much as you! Why won't you help us?"

Bakura shooed Chopper off of his hand gently before beginning his explanation. "See, Chopper, there comes a time in every pirate's life where they quite frankly suck. As in, a grain of sand would probably kill them. This is what has happened to me." He laughed lightly at his metaphor as he glanced nervously at the attacking Kuma, strengthening his shield as much as he dared to. "First, Hogback gave me ground up sea stone to repress my powers. Granted it was every two days, so today I do have slightly more power than I would have had yesterday, but quite frankly my devil fruit is not at its peak and I'm nearly out of souls. Then, I've been starved." He poked a rib lightly. "It's not normal for one to see one's ribs like this, as I've seen from everyone else. To top it all off, when I woke up, Moria was about to kill me. Meaning that my other personality, that as you said stems from," His hands flew smoothly into air quotation marks, "'dissociative personality disorder', well he most likely picked a fight with Moria and got his ass kicked. That's not good for my health, even if I wasn't awake for it." He poked Chopper's horns curiously. "So you see, me going up to battle with a perfectly healthy Shichibukai would not be beneficial for my life expectancy. And I still want to find Malik-kun, which I can't do when I'm dead." He giggled slightly as he combed dirty fingers through his hair. "Dying only happens once, so you better make it count."

The shield rumbled as a paw print slammed into its side. Bakura grimaced as several flames of blue let out excited shrieks and flew off in different directions into the night sky. "In fact, my shield's not going to last long because I don't have that many souls to feed it right now, and every time it gets hit, some souls are released. So I'd duck right now."

"What?" Chopper squeaked as he turned around as the shield cracked, and was hit head on by a glowing paw print and thrown high into the air.

Bakura twitched as he backed away, hands feebly glowing blue. _Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me._ He pleaded mentally as a semblance of a smile twitched at the corner of Kuma's mouth. "I will admit, you did have me fooled for a moment; albeit a short one. I actually believed you when you said that you were more powerful than me. But I see now that you were lying through your teeth."

Bakura smiled saccharinely as he stepped over a protruding tree root. He pointed to a random breathing body. "I don't think that they're dead yet. Maybe you should focus more on the quality of your work instead on taunting me." He suggested as a nervous giggle escaped his lips.

Kuma lifted a hand menacingly. "I don't think so." He drawled as the paw prints on his hand began to glow.

The paw flew towards Bakura and he desperately slashed his hand out to create a slapdash shield. The shield cracked as souls flew out with screams of joy, but Bakura remained relatively unharmed as he was blown back against a wall. He staggered up, small speckles of blood dotting his back and quickly shot several souls in succession at the Shichibukai. The man allowed the weakened souls to smash into his chest and grimaced at the impact, but continued to walk towards Bakura with slow and deliberate steps.

"Bakura-san, give up now. You are obviously about to overexert yourself and die, which would not be good for my position, since the World Government ordered me to bring you to them alive. Your attacks are pathetic and you barely have the energy to summon that monster of yours. Give up, before you do something that we both regret." He listed off emotionlessly.

A small spark of sanity passed through Bakura's eyes as he straightened his posture and smirked unnervingly at the Shichibukai. His eyes began to glow a bloody crimson as Diabound appeared beside him. "Well it appears that I have a bargaining chip then." He stated crisply.

Kuma stopped his slow pace to him, a small frown apparent on his large mouth.

Bakura was encouraged by this, causing him to inspect his nails casually. "Well, we both know that I am going to die if either one of us attacks. If you attack me, it kills me. If I attack you, it kills me. You don't want your superiors in the World Government angry at you. I don't want to meet your superiors in the World Government." A slightly deranged smile replaced the smirk. "My bargaining chip is my life."

Kuma slowly folded his arms. "What is your offer?" He asked dully.

Bakura cracked his neck with a sickening pop. "We'll play a game of…." He glanced around for inspiration, before his eyes alit upon a rock, "of rock, paper, scissors to decide if this deal is valid. If you win, and I go with you without dying on the way, you must promise on your honor to release me from the World Government after I make my decision on what they offer to me. If I win, I am allowed to decide if I want to forfeit my life right now, visit the World Government, or catch a ride away from this hell-hole." He held out a bony hand as he glanced behind Kuma discretely. "If our three out of five games of rock, paper, scissors is interrupted, the whole deal is called off. Deal?"

Kuma nodded slowly as he engulfed Bakura's hand with his own gloved one. "Fine. Only on those conditions."

The two extended their right hands and began. "Rock, paper, scissors." Bakura chanted quietly as his hand changed positions. Kuma's was a rock. His were scissors. A frown tugged at his lips as they entered the second round. "Rock, paper, scissors." Kuma's was paper. So was his. "Draw." He declared diplomatically as he pulled his hand back into its starting position. His eyes nervously flickered to the limping figure behind Kuma before shifting back to the Shichibukai's blank face. "Repeat. Rock, paper, scissors." Kuma's was paper. His was a rock. A small bead of sweat trailed down the back of his neck. "If you win this one, you won the game." He glanced up at Kuma and he nodded slowly. "Right. Rock, paper, sci-"

The green haired man flew across his line of vision, cutting deeply into Kuma's arm as he passed by.

Bakura smiled sympathetically. "Sorry, Kuma, buddy, pal. The game was interrupted. The deal is null and void. I really have to get off this place. See you later." He quickly bypassed the green haired man to run to the forest. At the edge, he stopped. "Hey, green haired guy."

"Huh?" He panted as he glanced at Bakura's turned face.

"I don't forget my debts. When my power returns, I swear that I will help you out in any situation that you need me. This is only for you though; it does not include the rest of the Straw Hat Crew. Remember to call upon it, because I will not do it willingly." He threw him a two-fingered salute. "Good luck with Kuma the Tyrant." He quickly disappeared into the forest without making a sound.

Diabound knelt down and Bakura slid on as the creature began to slither weakly. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, and fuck." He groaned as he laid his head in his arms. "This is too much, Diabound. I need somewhere to recuperate safely. But there is nowhere for _me_ of all people. I'm worth 374 million and I'm about to die; no one's going to leave me in peace." Suddenly, his eyes sparked slyly as he tugged gently on Diabound's arm. "Diabound. We're going to the ship with the lion head on it. Make us invisible if it's still dark enough to." He glanced at the rising sun in worry, knowing that being in the light would drastically weaken Diabound's ability to cast invisibility. "Move quickly." He urged as he smoothed his hand nervously over the creature's scales. Their speed increased, but not very much. Diabound was fed by souls, and when Bakura did not have many souls contained in his body, Diabound was the physical proof of it.

Diabound reached the ship and stopped, unable to fly or climb up its steep and smooth summit. Bakura rubbed his side appreciatively. "Thank you, my friend. You may rest now." The creature let out a deep-throated purr before disappearing into the skin of his palm. Bakura rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he limped towards the anchor. He judged the distance between him and the anchor and stepped back, before taking a running leap. He managed to grab onto the chain with one hand, leaving him dangling above the deadly sea. A grunt escaped his bleeding lips as he hoisted himself of the anchor slowly, taking great care not to receive rope burn. His hands were the most important limbs to him, and he'd be damned if they took any damage that he could avoid giving them.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Bakura slid over the side of the ship with a numb thunk. He laid face up, gasping for breath. "Thank the gods. I'm finally safe." He rolled onto his side with a strained groan. "This is damned embarrassing. Soul Stealer Bakura can't even climb up a rope without feeling like he's about to die." He laughed bitterly as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees. "Not that that feeling is over exaggerated. I am about to die." He wiped his cracked lips off with effort and glanced around the empty deck. "I…. I need to find somewhere to hide. Where is a place on a ship that no one ever goes to?" He glanced around before shrugging. "If this place has a library, no one will find me there. Pirates don't like to read." He deduced quickly as he slid through one of the doors. His red eyes nearly glowed as he opened the correct door in the hallway. "Perfect." He purred to himself as he allowed himself the sink into the plush chair, relaxation finally washing over him for the first time in years.

Suddenly, he slapped himself across the face. "Idiot. You can't relax. You're on an enemy ship. They have a _doctor_; however fuzzy he may be, all doctors are the same. You can't just curl up and go to sleep where you feel like it. You need to be strategic, and most of all, cautious."

His eyes inadvertently trailed across the titles on the sky-high bookshelves. Bakura slipped over to the shelves with soft steps and paused to trail his fingers along the bindings. His hand suspended in mid swipe and a small smile stole across his face as he reverently plucked a thin book from its shelf. A minute chuckle escaped his lips as he absently flipped through the brightly illustrated pages. "I remember this book. It was called The Joker and the King. I always used to love this as a child." He replaced the book carefully, before his delicate fingers ran across another one, full of maps.

Bakura greedily pulled out a large book and trailed his fingers down the locations on the pages in the back of the book. "Shabondy Archipelago. Where are you?" He murmured, before his fingers found the name. His eyes quickly committed the number to memory as he flipped rapidly through the pages and stopped on a map. Instantly, his fingers fell to the spot of the Archipelago as he scanned the latitude and longitude of the island. He rapidly flipped to a few pages previous where he had spotted a map of the Grand Line and matched the coordinates. He stepped back a few feet to get a better view of the large map, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"This would be a lot more useful if I knew where we were." He leaned back and rubbed his head. "But how'm I gonna do that without a- gods damn it, what was that thing called?- that spinny thing that Malik always had on his wrist. A Log something. Whatever, I don't have what I need, and that's a problem." His eyes flickered to the door behind him before he shook his head dismissively. "I definitely don't have the energy to go rob their navigator of the Log Pose thingy. First I'd have to find their hopefully knocked out body after walking all the way back there. Then, I'd most likely have to strike another cheap deal with Kuma again and pray that the sword guy saves me again. And then I'd be in debt. _Again._" He sighed as he fell back into the plush chair. "You know what, screw this. I can't do this anymore. I'm just gonna go to sleep. With that stupid plushy doctor around protesting my innocence, they won't kick me off without a reason. Hopefully, I'm safe." He allowed his weary eyes to drift shut. "I'm safe."

A sudden rocking broke him from his rest. He instantly shot up from the chair, a slightly bent scalpel out to poke anyone who got near him. The rumble stopped, and the ship was silent again. Bakura's eyes shot across the room warily, surveying for any threats. He cautiously leaned back in the chair, unable to deny the urge for rest any longer. If he died while sleeping, at least he'd be asleep for it. His eyes unwillingly flicked shut, and slowly, he drifted into a sleep.

Kuma nodded as he stepped forwards, his palm outstretched to capture the sleeping thief. He stopped as his hand slowly forced itself back into its glove. He stepped backwards, unsure of why he was allowing the cheating Soul Stealer to continue his rest undisturbed. "All I can say is that the shadow that talked to you was right in wishing you good luck. It's probably the only thing that's keeping you from the World Government right now, Soul Stealer Bakura." He murmured softly, before disappearing.

A small smile unconsciously slid across Bakura's pale lips.

* * *

If you liked it, review. If you didn't like it, review and tell me why, please.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the wait. Hope the chapter is good.

* * *

"I, for one, can't wait to get back to that one map. I want to know where we are going next with this heading, and it may actually be accurate this time. We already dropped Lola off, so we have no obligations to do anything. Hopefully, the log pose will lead us somewhere calm, maybe even relaxing." A woman suggested dreamily as she clapped her hands together in excitement.

"I'm just glad to get back to my books. It has been a long week. Too long, for that matter. I really need some time to just read and relax." A softer woman's voice added.

Bakura's eyes shot open as he sat up straight in the chair. _Shit! Voices! That means people, and that means trouble._ He glanced around the room, and decided that the best place to hide was behind the large plush chair, which he had taken the time to rest on.

Not a moment too soon, he dove under the legs of the well padded chair as the door opened scant seconds later, revealing the only two female crewmates.

"Huh. I don't remember leaving the map book out here." There was a shuffle of turning pages. "Ah well. As you said, Robin, it's been a long week. I probably took it out before Brooke came and creeped us out." She dismissed, before sitting down in a wooden chair placed strategically in front of the desk.

Robin sat down in the plush chair obliviously and let out a sigh of relief. "I missed this chair so much." She murmured blissfully as she leaned back.

Bakura winced as the chair pressed against his fragile spine. Suddenly, the pressure was released as Robin sat up intently, the door opening with a creak. She leaned back slightly as she recognized the person standing at the door.

"Nami-swan, Robin-chan! I have brought you tea and slices of cake!" A familiar man's voice cried in unreturned adoration.

Robin leaned back as the man placed the teapot and a cup on the small table beside Robin's chair. Another slight clang indicated where he put down a slice of cake. "Thank you, Chef-san." Robin said politely as she sipped from the teacup. A sound further away was greeted by a murmured thanks from Nami. "I will leave you two ladies to your studies in peace." He sauntered away slowly before closing the door softly.

Bakura sighed inaudibly as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position beneath the chair. _This is going to take forever._

Hours later, both Nami and Robin had left, leaving Bakura to finally stretch the cricks out of his back and neck. "My gods. I hate every pirate who loves reading and maps. That's my new motto." He let out a relieved sigh as his bony back popped back into place.

The door suddenly opened and he froze, caught in the act.

A brunet stared at him as he munched on a piece of meat. "You another ghost?" He asked in curiosity.

Bakura nodded quickly before smiling congenially. "Yes, little boy. That's how I got on your ship. That's also why I'm so pale and skeletal."

The brunet nodded, as if what Bakura was saying was actually making sense. He took another bite of his meat. "You know, we have some one on our crew who's a skeleton. He's not quite as pale as you though… and he's dead. But he's not a ghost."

"Not everyone has a devil fruit to save them from death." Bakura snapped impatiently before massaging his temples. "Kid, you got a name?"

The boy nodded.

After a minute, Bakura scowled, realizing what the brunet was waiting for. "Well what is your name then?" He demanded through gritted teeth.

"I'm Luffy. And I'm going to become pirate king." Luffy explained bluntly, before finishing off the meat. He sat down on the floor and stared up at Bakura.

Bakura shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. "What?"

Luffy scrunched up his nose as he scratched his head with the meat bone. "I think I've seen you before. But I don't remember where."

Bakura shrugged apathetically. "I know I've seen you somewhere before. I'm a dream ghost. I can go into people's minds and make them dream things. You must have seen me while I was manipulating your dreams." He sighed. "I wish I could remember what I make you mortals dream though. It must be so amusing."

Luffy's eyes widened. "Really? That is so cool! How'd you die?"

A deadpan look was shot his way. "If you really must know, it all began four thousand years and one hundred and ninety one days ago …" Bakura arranged himself comfortably in Robin's seat and began to weave his tall tale.

Forty-five minutes later, he leaned back in the plush chair, a satisfied smirk on his face. "And that is the reason why the sun rises and sets in different places."

Luffy nodded eagerly. "That was amazing! I wish I was a cool ninja like you were! How'd you shoot fire from your eyes like that?"

The door opened before Bakura chanced an answer. "Luffy? Are you in here? We found our next island-" Usopp froze. His jaw dropped as his eyes widened slowly. "Holy shit! The Soul Stealer is on our ship! Run while you still have your soul!" He ran down the hallway screaming like a child.

Luffy turned to the 'dream ghost', his eyes flooded with confusion. "Why did he call you the Soul Stealer?"

Bakura shrugged as he leaned onto his forearm. "I dunno. I must've given him some pretty strange dreams last night."

"What do you mean Soul Stealer's in here? We left him at Thriller Bark with shitty Moria and all the other freaks."

"Usopp, you sure you didn't get drunk off my cola?"

"Usopp may be right. He ran as soon as I distracted Kuma."

"Yay! That's wonderful that he's okay!"

"It would make sense. My maps were out, and I was almost positive that I hadn't pulled them out before hand."

"He looked almost as dead as me."

"Perhaps he did make it onto our ship. After all, he wasn't around while we were celebrating with Lola."

The door opened and Usopp pointed a trembling finger at Bakura. "See! See, I told you! The Soul Stealer is here!"

Luffy smiled and waved obliviously. "Hey guys! This is Kickass Paul- that's his real name! He's a dream ghost. He made us dream all sorts of things that he can't remember. Did you know that he used to be a ninja that spit fire out of his eyes from four thousand years and one hundred and eighty days ago?" He asked excitedly.

"Ninety one." Bakura corrected meticulously.

Nami punched Luffy on the head disbelievingly. "You idiot. He just made all of that stuff up on the spot. A four thousand year old dream ghost? Honestly."

"It's four thousand years, and one hundred and ninety one days ago. Kids these days. Can't remember the shit that their elders tell 'em." Bakura grumbled as he crossed his arms childishly.

"Bakura! You're okay!" Chopper squealed happily. His smile faded as he felt the weight of Bakura's piercing glare. "Oh. It's you." He mumbled dejectedly as he instantly identified the man's doctor prejudice personality.

"Do you honestly think that we would believe what Luffy just said when we had already seen you on the island?" Sanji demanded as he lit a cigarette.

Bakura shrugged as he tugged on a lock of greasy hair. "I just felt like lying. I didn't actually think that he would take my word as the gospel truth. He asked me if I was a ghost, and I gave him the answer he wanted to hear." He dismissed lazily.

"So this is where you ran off to. You sped out of Kuma's path so quickly, I thought your feet might've been on fire." Zoro spat scathingly.

Bakura sneered. "Hey, one more attack from me or him and I was _dead._ I don't want to die just yet, even though I look like I don't have any life left in me." He steepled his fingers together and leaned forwards. "I saw that you were going to attack and took my chances to make a deal with him. I would come with him to the World Government to listen to the deal they wanted to propose me, and then be released if he won three of the games of rock paper scissors. If I won, I could decide to die and get him in trouble, if I wanted to pay a visit to the World Government or run. I specifically added the portion where if the games were interrupted in any manner that the deal would be called off and I'd have the chance to run."

He grinned lopsidedly. "You can call me a coward if you want, but I needed rest. And I still need souls." A shock of blue flashed on his hand for a brief second after a tense moment of concentration. "See? I barely have any extra souls in this body. I need energy." He explained simply before tilting his head to the side. "I'm sure at least one of you understands the predicament I'm in. I'm so powerful in reputation that a step inside any city would have millions of bounty hunters after me in a second; also I'm extremely recognizable because of my admittedly strange appearance. Even after sleeping, I'm so weak that the wind probably still has a high chance of killing me, let alone hoards of never ending bounty hunters. I need a safe haven to rest and recuperate. I don't have any friends save Malik, who is over in Shabondy Archipelago right now. And I am, unfortunately, lacking a ship. So I at least need a ride to the Archipelago where I can hopefully find a friend. Also, the World Government will be all over my ass to make me an offer to become a Shichibukai right now."

Usopp and Nami had paled and were swaying dangerously in fright. "Y-You steal souls f-f-for food?" Usopp stammered.

Bakura glanced over at him with detached interest. "No, I don't eat them. I hoard them. Any one who is disrespectful to me or my nakama, I steal their souls to give me and Diabound energy."

"Diabound? Was that the creature that tackled Moria?" Robin asked calmly.

Bakura nodded as he waved a hand. Diabound slowly appeared beside him and hissed at the crew. Bakura ran a soothing hand along his silky scales, causing him to calm at the touch. "As you can see, poor Diabound is as exhausted as me. The more souls I have, the more powerful he is." He explained smoothly before snapping his fingers briskly. The creature let out a regretful moan, before fading back into the shimmering air around Bakura's hand.

Luffy laughed as he stood up, wiping his hands on his pants and sticking the bone in his pocket. "You are pretty funny, Bakura. I can't believe you got me to believe that you were a dream ghost." He glanced at his crewmembers, a broad smile on his face. "I want him on our crew." He stated simply as he placed an elbow on Bakura's bony shoulder.

A wave of protests instantly arose, before Bakura shoved Luffy away from him. The most vocal were Nami and Usopp screaming about him keeping a pet monster that lived on souls. Then Sanji and Zoro argued that he stole souls from people that he thought were being disrespectful to him and could turn on them at any given moment. Chopper cut in shrilly, explaining that Bakura was his patient, and patients needed to stay with their doctors. Franky retorted that him being insane and powerful made him doubly dangerous. Brook smacked him on the head with his cane and replied that Bakura had been nice to him when he had been stuck on Thriller Bark.

Only Robin remained calm through the whole thing. As the screaming and arguments subsided, she began to speak. "Soul Stealer Bakura, born Ryou Bakura. Most commonly referred to as the Soul Stealer, or the Thief King by his subordinates." She steadily met the man's steely gaze. "He was born in Arabasta 26 years ago. By the time he was fifteen, he had begun to attract government attention, as every citizen who did not live in the palace referred to him as Thief King Bakura. He became the second most powerful man in the country aside King Cobra. At the age of seventeen, he, with the help of a palace slave by the name of Malik Ishtar poisoned a member of the royal family. Malik and him became fugitives as their bounties suddenly appeared as 120 million a piece. Days after the incident, they commandeered a Marine Captain's ship and sailed the seas in that. They were able to get close to many Marine ships and attack them with ease because of their façade of a Marine ship. This raised their bounties to 237 million the year after the incident in Arabasta. And then both of them found their devil fruits. Supposedly, the seas turned to blood and boiled the hours following them eating their respective fruits." Before she could continue with the man's gruesome history, Bakura cut her off.

The man growled threateningly. "I am not here to have my past exposed to you rookies. The only reason that I've been trapped here is because of that damned sea stone powder _Doctor_ Hogback force-fed me. And he stole my official lock picks." A frown worked its way across his face. "They were nice. Had gold, silver, copper, and several jeweled sets. Knowing him, he probably used them as toothpicks." He whined as he stood up. He carefully brushed off the chair to camouflage the dirt and bloodstains he had left on the smooth fabric. "If you guys don't like me, at least take me to the next island with normal people and let me get my bearings. I just need to find someone. I don't _want_ to be on your crew, Straw Hat Luffy. I just want to find the only supposed friend I have in the world."

Nami cocked her head to the side. "You're talking about that palace slave, right? Malik Ishtar?"

Bakura nodded as he pulled out a small gold earring from his tattered pocket and slowly twirled it between his lithe fingers. "Other me definitely doesn't remember it. But I was there; I was there when Malik finally broke. It was…. It really almost destroyed me as well." He murmured, eyes not moving from the tiny piece of gold. "To see someone that strong reduced to screaming and crying like a terrified child. To see someone that strong develop such an aversion to needles that he would rather try to chew his own arm off than to be pricked by one. To see someone who I had always looked after and called my brother to be consumed by a madness that I couldn't stop…" The earring stopped, before he carefully placed it back into his pocket. He looked up, his eyes bright with determination. "I will find Malik. Even if you guys dump me off of this ship right now, I will find a way to swim and save Malik from whatever hell he may be experiencing. I refuse for my heart to stop until I know for a fact and I've seen it with my own eyes that Malik is safe and okay."

Franky scratched his head. "That's really something, Bakura. But why didn't a bounty like you just break out and whoop Moria's ass? I mean, he wasn't that powerful compared to you."

Bakura bared his teeth into a silent snarl. "Those bastards. They jumped us. Middle of the night, that stupid Perona bitch used her little ghost things to wreak havoc on our ship. I couldn't steal their souls 'cause they didn't have any, and Malik couldn't control them because they didn't have a mind. All of Malik's mind slaves and our partner, Yami, jumped ship, leaving us alone to face the horrors of Thriller Bark. Next day, we were exhausted from creating mental shields against those cretins. When we saw Thriller Bark, we thought we were safe. But then that stupid invisible lion thing knocked us out from behind when we weren't expecting it. When we woke up, _Doctor_ Hogback gave us some hot tea, and told us that he just found us laying there barely breathing, so he took us to his home. Malik checked the tea for poison, but didn't find any; 'cause there wasn't any. _Doctor _Hogback had decided to grind up sea stone into a powder and put it into the tea. After we drank it, we instantly felt its effects and made move to kill him, but then Moria stepped out of the shadows, and that's where our lives essentially ended." Bakura clenched his fist angrily as he glared at the floor. "Gods damn it. We were there together for three damn years with experiments tested on us. We were both slightly insane at that point, but finally, Malik snapped." Bakura paused, before unclenching his fist. "And that's what happened." He concluded, his voice suddenly hoarse. "It was the sea stone and the physical and mental strain put on us there that prevented us from escaping. I could kill Moria with both hands tied behind my back if I wasn't weakened. Malik coulda easily taken control of his mind if he wasn't weakened. But we were. So we never escaped."

"Malik is worth 374 million belli as well, correct?" Robin clarified, breaking the awkward silence.

Bakura nodded, silently grateful for the topic shift. "Yeah. He did a lot of crazy shit, since he was pretty much insane to begin with. That's probably why he didn't last as long as me. As long as us."

Luffy scratched his head. "So you're not gonna be one of our nakama?"

Bakura shook his head vehemently, suddenly looking irate. "No, I am _looking_ for my nakama. Besides, I'm a captain. I can't just pledge my allegiance to another captain 'cause he wants me to."

Sanji sighed loudly, drawing his crewmate's attention to him. "Y'know, I promised Chopper I'd help out with Bakura and getting him to Malik. And I'm not going to break my promise. I say we keep him around at least until when ever we get to this Archipelago."

Chopper squealed and clapped joyfully. Bakura shot him a scathing glare, but even that was unable to suppress the reindeer's excitement.

Robin shrugged. "I think we should give him a chance. After all, you let me on your ship after I was on the other team, so to speak."

Franky shrugged. "It doesn't really matter to me. I think guess we should let him come even though he's a bit of a nutjob." He smiled apologetically at the skeletal man. "Sorry, but it's true."

Bakura sighed. "It'll take some getting used to. It was Malik who was always called the nutjob, not me."

Usopp backed away, shaking his hands and head rapidly. "Uh-uh-unh. No way. He keeps a monster under his skin. He steals _souls_. He creeps me out. And he's mentally unstable." Bakura frowned at the comment but remained silent, allowing the crew to continue its debate.

Nami sidled over to him slowly, inspecting him carefully from every angle. She lightly tugged on a lock of matted hair as she turned to Robin. "You said he was also called the Thief King. Why?"

Bakura raised a heavy wallet beside her face. "I believe that this is yours?"

She snatched the wallet back while simultaneously feeling her back pockets. "No way." She mumbled as she emptied out the pockets, showing them to be empty. Her hands instantly snapped the wallet open and she glanced inside, counting her money. Nami's eyes ran over to him appreciatively, before she walked back towards everyone else, stuffing the wallet down her shirt. "He's in. He could make us a lot of belli." Usopp let out a squeal of protest as his only form of support left him for the lures of money.

Zoro shrugged. "I don't really care. I mean, he's a coward. But I suppose I can't really condemn him for that."

Silence reigned for a short moment, until all eyes glanced towards Brooke expectantly. He put a hand to his bony chest. "Me? You want my opinion?"

Nami smirked slightly. "You're a Straw Hat right now. You need to put in your opinion now or forever hold your peace."

Brooke nodded as he wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye and straightened his tie. "I think we should keep him. After all, for the time I was stuck at Thriller Bark, he was nice to me. Even though he was being tortured and I was let free quickly, he managed to be nice to me."

Chopper raised a hand before speaking quickly. "That's right, you guys. There are two Bakura's basically in there. If you don't get along with this guy, maybe you'll get along with the next. It's like flipping a coin."

"Shut up, _Doctor_." Bakura hissed.

Chopper merely nodded. "See? He hates me, but the other him and I get along fine. It all depends on who you're talking to."

Luffy grinned broadly. "So that's it then. Bakura is now an official temporary crew member."

* * *

Bakura sighed in relaxation before slurping his strawberry daiquiri greedily.

Robin laughed lightly. "Calm down, Bakura. It's not going anywhere." He smiled sheepishly as he began to elegantly sip the fruity drink.

Nami observed him through shaded eyes. "You look like you've done that before." She commented offhandedly.

The twenty six year old nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I had to dress up like a duchess with Malik playing the duke when we crashed some governor's party to steal some money and get free food. He was pissed off when Malik yelled that my water broke and asked for us to be shown to the nearest bathroom. Problem was, I wasn't fat at all. I was skinnier than most of the girls there. All the girls and guys there were probably more pissed off than the governor when they heard that I was not pregnant because I was really a guy." He noticed Nami's strange look and waved it off with a giggle. "The point is, I had to learn how to eat and drink fancy so I could pass as one of the high class society members."

Robin nodded as she adjusted her sunglasses. "It obviously paid off. If forced to, you could pass as one of the elite in the World Government."

Suddenly, Bakura let out a meep as Franky ran up and tossed him over his shoulder in a fluid movement. "C'mon, 'Kura. You need to stop talking to the girls and have some fun. You already look enough like one, don't act like one too." He jumped into the pool with Bakura pulled along for the ride.

Nami shrieked as Franky surfaced as Robin bolted over to the edge of the pool, eyes filled with worry.

Franky sprayed out a stream of water from his lips. "What's wrong? He needs to live a little."

"You idiot." Robin hissed, looking the angriest the cyborg had ever seen her. "He's a devil fruit user. He's not going to live a little, because he's going to drown underwater."

Franky paled as he glanced down into the deep water besides him. "Crap. I forgot." He mumbled, before diving quickly.

Bakura blinked slowly before he rubbed his irritated eyes to sooth the pain. Bubbles slipped freely from his mouth as he looked around at the bottom of the pool. _What am I supposed to do? I've never been under water before. It doesn't seem like fun; my eyes really hurt. Why did Franky-san throw me in here? _He glanced up as a shadow spilled over his body. More bubbles escaped from his lips as he tried to speak. "Hello Franky-san. How are you?" His eyes bulged and he coughed harshly as the water lurched down his throat. Pale hands instantly found their way to his throat as he tried to stop the cycle of coughing and breathing in more water to try and cough the inhaled water out. Franky grabbed his hair roughly and pulled him up with as much strength as he could muster.

The two men flopped onto the side of the pool with the elegance of a fish out of water. Bakura was instantly taken under Robin's care as she patted his back gently to help coax the water from his throat. Franky was immediately reprimanded by an angry Nami as she smacked his head repeatedly.

Finally, Bakura was able to sit up on his own, and he blinked in confusion as he looked over at the pool with blatant curiosity. "How does anyone find inhaling water fun? Is there a secret to speaking under water that I don't know? How do you move? Why did my eyes hurt? How do you get air? What do you do?" The questions spewed forth from his mouth in eager waves.

Nami and Franky looked over at him in confusion. Even Robin looked perplexed as she stroked his hair gently. "Haven't you gone swimming before?" Franky asked bluntly.

Bakura blinked as he tilted his head to the side cutely. "Swimming? What's that?"

A smile slid across Robin's face as she nodded in understanding. "It is because you are from Arabasta, correct? You were never given the option of going into the water just for fun." She verified.

Bakura nodded as he shivered, the dress shirt he had borrowed from Sanji, firmly plastered to his bony body. "Only the wealthy had ditches like these, full of water. But what are they for? I never did get it. They didn't ever drink the water."

Nami, too, began to smile. She walked over to him and fuzzed his sopping hair. "Silly. Swimming is when you are moving around under water. You move your hands and legs to move places and go to the surface to get air. You can't open your mouth, or you get water in it. So you can't talk under water." She explained endearingly.

Franky quickly butted in. "But you can't swim, Bakura. Because you ate your devil fruit, it forbids you from swimming; meaning you sink. If you swim in sea water or come in contact with sea stone, you lose your powers." He added slowly.

Bakura nodded. "Huh. So I guess it doesn't matter that I didn't learn how to swim." He stated simply, before standing up and stretching. His hand quickly led the way back to his daiquiri as he sat down in the chair and leaned back, eyes closing blissfully.

Robin and Nami followed his example while Franky swam away, looking for a more interesting conversation. "Hey, Bakura. What was Arabasta like before Crocodile started his scheme?" Nami asked, her curiosity piqued.

Bakura's eyes shot open in excitement as he sat up and crossed his legs. "It was amazing! There were even flowers in the city that Malik-kun and I lived in. They were growing wild! My little sister loved picking the wild flowers. The market places were always so packed and made you feel alive with all of the vendors and the noises, and the smells. And the food was all amazing. The people were all rich and there was enough water for everyone. There were fountains for the little kids to splash around in and for the few impoverished people to clean themselves. It wasn't just divided into social classes of rich and poor. I made sure that everyone who worked with me got an equal cut of the profits, rich or poor. And Malik had a lot of freedom for a slave. No one looked down at anyone because of skin color or anything silly like that. If you had a good idea, someone would help you fund it and you could become rich and climb the social ladder. There were lots of casinos, where tons of people spent money and had fun. Almost no one got in arguments, and everyone was hap-" He froze, as his mouth twitched over the implications of his next word.

"Everyone was what, Bakura?" Nami prodded eagerly.

Bakura's eyes narrowed as he stood up and threw his half drank daiquiri on the pavement, instantly shattering it. He ground his foot into the glass shards, purposefully spilling his blood over the concrete. His eyes briefly flickered to the bewildered Nami and Robin, before returning back to his bloodied foot. "I take it all back. I don't want to talk about this anymore." He spat bitterly. He limped away, leaving a filthy trail of bloodied glass in his wake. "If you will excuse me, I must find a beverage of stronger alcoholic content."

* * *

So... yeah. Please review. ^-^


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